Who's who in the past, present and future

Who's who in the past, present and future

Muara Bagdja, Contributor, Jakarta

Since the country proclaimed its independence 58 years ago, every
ensuing decade has seen the emergence of new fashion designers.
While some have disappeared as quickly as last's season's
designs, others have left a lasting impression on the development
of the fashion sector.

Here we select the legends, and the legends in the making, of
Indonesian fashion, from the two sectors of ethnic and nonethnic
designs.

Legend (nonethnic)

Peter Sie: The first Indonesian to formally study fashion
design and decide to make it his career. The latter choice
inspired many budding young designers at a time when fashion was
still looked down upon as a career, especially for men. With his
fashion training obtained in the Netherlands, his designs are
distinctly western in style. In a career spanning from the 1950s
to the present, he continues to exclusively make designs to
order.

Legend (ethnic)

Iwan Tirta: No other designer has explored batik better and
more profoundly than Iwan Tirta.

From a background in law, he began his career as a designer in
the 1970s and can rightfully be called the pioneer in changing
the image of batik. With his efforts and guidance, it has gone
from the cloth used as a sling to carry a baby was carried to the
material for glittering evening gowns and gentlemen's formal
attire.

Iwan also took sacred palace batik motifs and gave them a
broader reach on modern gowns. He is also the first designer to
use batik on silk and chiffon. Prada (gold embroidered) batik is
also considered his creation. But he is changing with the times
and tastes, using batik on lycra and cooperating with Royal
Doulton to produce plates with batik motifs. "I've done all this
to ensure that batik will survive," the 68-year-old designer
said.

The Present (nonethnic)

Adrian Gan: He began designing in early 1990 and gained a
broad circle of customers, but it was only in early 2000 that he
presented his debut collection. He has been quickly accepted in
the local fashion community because his elegant, glamorous
designs fit in with the current trends. His patterns are
intricate, with many oriental designs included.

Denny Wirawan: As his designs go along with the major current
in local fashion trends, he has gained increasing recognition,
especially because his designs suit women and their bodies.
Intrinsically feminine but contoured to the way that most women
look, they are made on soft fabric.

He graduated from Susan Budiardjo fashion design school and
gained experience at Prajudi's fashion house. His trademark is
ready to wear dresses that are light and suitable for any
occasion.

Didi Budiardjo: Known as an evening dress designer who
emphasizes the lines of his dresses and sophisticated patterns.
His designs are unique in that, while remaining strongly modern
in style, they are influenced by traditional designs found in
such areas as Sumatra or Bali. His statement is that evening
gowns are suitable wear for Indonesian women and cannot be
dismissed as "western" fashion anymore.

Eddy Betty: Upon his return to Jakarta after studying fashion
design in Paris, he began his own fashion business. He brought
along with him the bustier, which has since become a favorite
among Indonesian women for evening gowns. With its figure-hugging
designs emphasizing the female form, it resembles the form-
fitting kebaya (traditional Javanese blouse), which has also
emerged as his design specialty.

Sebastian Gunawan: When he introduced his ballgown designs at
his debut fashion show in mid-1990, many scoffed that the fashion
would never catch on in the country. However, the Italian fashion
school graduate persisted -- and has been successful in carving
out his own niche in the market.

His designs, created along with his wife, Cristina Panarese,
have emerged as their own fashion phenomenon and inspired many
other designers. Titi DJ and Krisdayanti are among the
entertainers who have popularized his designs.

The Present (ethnic)

Baron Manangsang: He is one of the new generation of pioneers
in batik design, which he makes on textured woven fabric with the
play of soft color gradation. With highly refined craftsmanship,
his woven batik cloth is given a touch of beautiful embroidery to
make it not only a functional piece of clothing but also a
collector's item. His collaboration with a number of other
Indonesian fashion designers has produced a greater variety of
batik cloth for women to choose from.

Biyan: Amid increasingly strong influences of globalization in
the local fashion world, he has introduced a new approach to a
dress for Indonesian women, marrying oriental elements with
international-style fashion design. This "East Meet West" finds
expression in gowns marked by touches of craftsmanship, long
known as the trademark of Asian fashion. The ultrafemininity of
chiffon dresses with tiny embroidered ornaments and beads have
made them popular among women in Jakarta and Singapore, one of
the places where he markets his works.

Edward Hutabarat: While many other designers turned to the
west for their influences, Edward stayed true to the kebaya, but
revived for modern times. His success is attributable to the
glamorous presentation of the blouse: Laced and brocaded with
tiny ornamental roses it is feminine and beautiful, and its
success among consumers has led to it being copied by others. His
presence is important in Indonesian fashion because he continues
to prod Indonesian women to wear the traditional blouse and
hairbun despite the overwhelming saturation of evening gowns in
the market.

Ghea S. Panggabean: All credit must go to her for keeping
ethnic-style designs at the forefront of local fashion, even with
the swing to ostentatious evening wear. Since early in her career
in the 1980s, she has consistently explored designs based on
various traditional elements. But her strength lies in her
transfer of traditional motifs to printed motifs on modern,
casual designs. A recent honor was an assignment to design a
kebaya for Datin Seri Endon Mahmood Badawi, wife of Malaysia's
deputy prime minister.

Obin: As a cloth designer, she is part of the new generation
of batik designers using its motifs in soft colors on textured
woven cloth. Her works are popular among women not only because
of their novelty value but because they have liberated them from
the conventional dictates about wearing batik cloth. Thanks to
her designs, women are free to wear batik by simply tying it
around the body, leaving their hair flowing freely (no more
hairbuns!) and giving a more relaxed impression to the fabric.

The Future (nonethnic)

Sally Koeswanto: She studied fashion in Australia, but
returned to her birthplace of Surabaya in 1994 and began a made-
to-order dress business. In 1998 she moved to Jakarta and opened
a boutique the next year. To gain greater public exposure, she
held her first fashion show in 2001. Her designs have elegant
lines and show a strong contrast of materials, for example, the
combination of leather and lace. She is known as an up-and-coming
designer of glamorous, elegant clothes. Not surprisingly, singer
Krisdayanti is one of her customers.

The Future (ethnic)

Oscar Lawalata: He began to attract the attention of the local
fashion community in the late 1990s, a timely appearance as some
new faces were sorely needed in the local fashion community. He
was also the second prize winner in the 1999 ASEAN Young
Designers Contest in Singapore. A celebrity in his own right for
his androgynous appearance and interesting personality, his works
are defined by uniquely loose and symmetrical patterns. It is
interesting to note his wish to explore Indonesian materials for
his designs, using Makassar woven fabric from early in his career
until today.